Release (Off Balance 3)

"Go on."

"I have terrible headaches. Like the blinding pain kind of headache that makes me turn off lights and have to lie down. Sometimes there's a sharpness in my chest that catches me off guard."

Dr. DeLang reopened my file and began taking notes. "What about your period? When was your last cycle?"

I glanced at the ceiling for a second, then back to her. "You know, I can't remember. It's been on and off. I figured the irregularity was due to the heavy training."

"For sure, it can be. You’re still training about forty to fifty hours a week, correct?"

I nodded.

"Are you on birth control to regulate your period?"

"No."

"Having sex?"

"Sometimes."

"But you're using protection, correct?"

"Of course." Plan B was a sort of protection. The only other time I didn't use protection was in the shower with Hayden, and he'd pulled out.

Christ on a stick! Was I pregnant this whole time and didn’t know it?

No. There’s no way.

I may have thrown myself headfirst into gymnastics because I’d been so consumed with everything else going on that I wanted to forget, but I think I’d know if I was pregnant.

"Good. What about illnesses? Any that run in your family?"

"As far as I know everyone seems to be healthy." Not that I knew much of anything about my biological mom, and I was too embarrassed to broach that topic.

"No cancer? Any diseases?" she asked, jotting more stuff down.

"No." I shook my head. She probably thought I was a hypochondriac.

"How well are you sleeping?"

"Some days I pass out as soon as I walk in and don't wake up until my alarm goes off. Other days I'm so exhausted but I just can't seem to fall asleep no matter what I do. I'm all over the place."

"Any fevers?"

"I had a fever a few times."

She looked up at me. "How high was it?"

"I didn't take my temperature."

"Okay. Anything else I need to know about?"

I started to shake my head no, then stopped, recalling something Madeline had said. "One of my coaches said it looked like I had a rash a few weeks ago."

"Where was it?"

I shrugged, helpless. "My cheeks?"

Dr. DeLang made another note before setting the file down. She reached into a cabinet and pulled out a little clear cup with a lid. She wrote my last name on the affixed label before handing it to me. "I'll need a urine sample from you, and then I’ll send you for a new set of labs. I'd rather not go on your last blood panel since it's been so long."